Thursday, July 29, 2010

Odysseus has just been challenged by Alkinoos as to why the gods have not made more of a spectacle of him. Odysseus is slightly annoyed and replies as follows:

Alkinoos, let something else be in your mind; I am not
in any way like the immortals who hold wide heaven,
neither in build nor stature, but only to men who are mortal.
Whoever it is of people you know who wear the greatest
burden of misery, such are the ones whom I would equal
for pain endured, and I could tell of still more troubles
that are all mine and by the will of the gods I suffered.
But leave me now to eat my dinner, for all my sorrow,
for there is no other thing so shameless as to be set over
the belly, but she rather uses constraint and makes me think of her,
even when sadly worn, when in my heart I have sorrow
as now I have sorrow in my heart, yet still forever
she tells me to eat and drink and forces me to forgetfulness
of all I have suffered, and still she is urgent that I must fill her.

From 'Odyssey' by Homer translated by Lattimore, p. 116-7

A hero is someone who takes all that the gods throw at him / her and keeps going. Odysseus surely took more than his fair share and he didn't spend his time trying to change things, he accepted it and all he wanted was a quiet life and a good meal.

Monday, July 26, 2010

There is a particularly good article on the boxer Shane Mosley in this weeks edition of the New Yorker.

Boxed inIt is quite a balanced article on the 38 year old boxer, his life and his training methods and follows him as he goes to fight Floyd Mayweather. The trainer Richardson describes boxing as something far more than mere physical strength - 'Shane's power is more confidence than actual power, this motherfucker believe in that shot so much, to where that shot is like that.' he goes on - 'The gorilla is the strongest motherfucker in the zoo, but you ain't never seen that bitch walk by with the keys.'

Then Larry Merchant (HBO boxing commentator since 1978) captures the show with the following quote: "Floyd Mayweather is usually the most exciting fighter before the first bell, Shane Mosley after the first bell."

In the end Mayweather perfects the style of boxing and wins - the name of the sport, is also the name of the style.

Mosley trains in Big Bear Lake, California, where most of the interviews take place, hence the location of this post.

William Temple was an Archbishop from the start of the last century. He was interested in Christian Unity and Social reform. I have written about him before and have always found him interesting. I found a book about him on Saturday and it describes one of his earliest influences when he went to visit a missionary doctor in Bermondsey (Abbey Street):

"The doctor's own methods were highly individual. The first time I visited the Club was during my second year at Oxford. I was taken to a basement room, where a crowd of some twenty people sat on benches round the wall; one corner was screened off. The doctor stood in the middle with myself just behind him, and preached with great directness for about five minutes. Then he turned abruptly and dived into the corner behind the screen, beckoning me to follow. We found a rickety table and three uninviting chairs. I sat on an end one and was given a pencil and a writing tablet; the doctor sat in the middle; on the other chair sat the patients, one after another. With each a conversation took place on the following lines. "Put out your tongue ... Where did you go to church last Sunday? ... Open your mouth ... Why not? Say ninety-nine ... Well I'll give you some medicine, but mind you say your prayers and go to church in the future." The gaps represent inarticulate replies, the patient being in an attitude prohibitive of speech; but the doctor knew the answers without hearing."

Going to doctor has changed now, can't help feeling this way would have been quite good fun.

Friday, July 16, 2010

First of all, paint a cage with an opened little door then paint something attractive something simple something beautiful something of benefit for the bird Put the picture on a tree in a garden in a wood or in a forest hide yourself behind the tree silent immovable...

Sometimes the bird arrives quickly but sometimes it takes years Don't be discouraged wait wait for years if necessary the rapidity or the slowness of the arrival doesn't have any relationship with the result of the picture

When the bird comes if it comes keep the deepest silence wait until the bird enters the cage and when entered in Close the door softly with the brush then remove one by the one all the bars care not to touch any feather of the bird

Then draw the portrait of the tree choosing the most beautiful branch for the bird paint also the green foliage and the coolness of the beasts of the grass in the summer's heat and then, wait that the bird starts singing

If the bird doesn't sing it's a bad sign it means that the picture is wrong but if it sings it's a good sign it means that you can sign

so you tear with sweetness a feather from the bird and write your name in a corner of the painting.

Monday, July 05, 2010

Just thought you might like to read these lyrics. Quite funny by Bob Dylan. If anyone wants to listen to the song, I can send them the mp3.

Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

I saw it advertised one dayBear Mountain picnic was comin’ my way“Come along ’n’ take a tripWe’ll bring you up there on a shipBring the wife and kidsBring the whole family”Yippee!

Well, I run right down ’n’ bought a ticketTo this Bear Mountain PicnicBut little did I realizeI was in for a picnic surpriseHad nothin’ to do with mountainsI didn’t even come close to a bear

Took the wife ’n’ kids down to the pierSix thousand people thereEverybody had a ticket for the trip“Oh well,” I said, “it’s a pretty big shipBesides, anyway, the more the merrier”

Well, we all got on ’n’ what d’ya thinkThat big old boat started t’ sinkMore people kept a-pilin’ onThat old ship was a-slowly goin’ downFunny way t’ start a picnic

Well, I soon lost track of m’ kids ’n’ wifeSo many people there I never saw in m’ lifeThat old ship sinkin’ down in the waterSix thousand people tryin’ t’ kill each otherDogs a-barkin’, cats a-meowin’Women screamin’, fists a-flyin’, babies cryin’Cops a-comin’, me a-runnin’Maybe we just better call off the picnic

I got shoved down ’n’ pushed aroundAll I could hear there was a screamin’ soundDon’t remember one thing moreJust remember wakin’ up on a little shoreHead busted, stomach crackedFeet splintered, I was bald, naked . . .Quite lucky to be alive though

Feelin’ like I climbed outa m’ casketI grabbed back hold of m’ picnic basketTook the wife ’n’ kids ’n’ started homeWishin’ I’d never got up that morn

Now, I don’t care just what you doIf you wanta have a picnic, that’s up t’ youBut don’t tell me about it, I don’t wanta hear it’Cause, see, I just lost all m’ picnic spiritStay in m’ kitchen, have m’ own picnic . . .In the bathroom

Now, it don’t seem to me quite so funnyWhat some people are gonna do f’r moneyThere’s a bran’ new gimmick every dayJust t’ take somebody’s money awayI think we oughta take some o’ these peopleAnd put ’em on a boat, send ’em up to Bear Mountain . . .For a picnic

About the blog

I have been writing this blog for over ten years. I tend to be quite eclectic in my range of interests and you will see that the subjects vary from Heaven by George Herbert to Curious George. The main reason I started writing this blog was to get my view across that the reviews we see in the papers come from the literary establishment. Writers who review books by their friends and this does not mean that the reviews are accurate. Along the way I got distracted, I even added some of my artwork but I hope you enjoy reading it. My favourite post is from January 2005 -English literature and geology do mix!- You should search it out.